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21 August 2014

It's totally fine if you didn't notice that I cut six inches off my hair on a whim during a quick and miraculously quiet minute after I showered the other day. Simon didn't either. And I gave him two separate chances: a visit at the hospital and later when he came home from work. Nope, nothing. After I pointed it out he looked at me incredulously, "really?! it looks the same!"

I meant to just give it a trim but here we are. And then I read earlier today that long bobs are (ahem, were - that was from April, whatever) in so I'll be giving the back another hack and attempt some layers (per professional hair goddess Kate's gentle and kind advice). You can leave your, "it looks like a broom" thoughts to yourself because ... I know.

Moving right along ...

I know it's ridiculous for a 31 year old mom o four to do outfit posts but ... no buts. It's ridiculous. And cranking up the ridiculous a notch or three is the fact that I'm wearing a sweatshirt and boots in August. To that I say that people have been pinning Thanksgiving recipes for weeks and the return of the Pumpkin Spice errrything is mere days away. And it was an unseasonably cold summer. And I love hearing Simon's endless commentary on my "Peter Pan" boots ... that I happen to love to death.

Okay, now really moving along to the venials ....

I don't love Taylor Swift's new song Put down your weapons! I don't hate it like I loathed Pharrell's Happy but I don't crank it in the Odyssey when it comes on which seems to be every other song this week.

Please know that my taste in music is actually quite hip and refined as I have been listening to Enrique's, Bailando on repeat on every single run I've gone in for the past three weeks which would be a grand total of two. Two whole runs.

Julia and Sebastian's new favorite game is "date" and they generally always go to the wine store and the chocolate store while holding hands. Those are the only two destinations.

I took Julia and Sebastian to the grocery store last weekend while Simon watched Phoebe and Theo at home. A mom with three kids behind me in line warned, "wait till you have a third!" with a sigh and it was excruciatingly difficult to bite my tongue and smile but I did. My tact and charity know no bounds.

I usually only go to Costco once a week or every other week but last week I went twice only because the thought of unloading all of the groceries we needed in just one trip was too daunting. I should probably crack down on our almond milk addiction. And maybe work on Julia's liberal use of toilet paper.

This might be a terrible analogy to make but you know the feeling of finally eating after not eating for a long, long time? Your blood sugar rising and your whole body buzzing with happiness? Some days that's exactly how I feel when I get the kids down for naps. All that quiet! I know, terrible.

Ironically, I've been trying to type this post for two days but Phoebe has had other plans carved out for the time in which her three older (and wiser!) siblings nap. I was tempted to get frustrated but then I remembered she's 3.9 months old and priorities so I'll stop here. But if you're wanting to commend my sporadic one-handed typery (faux word) .... I won't complain.

Confession: that feeling of elation when all the kids are napping? I get the SAME feeling when all of my chickies are out of the nest. My middle son and his wife and a half dozen of their friends spent the weekend with us. Living on Patton Lake near scenic Helen, Georgia makes us a great weekend getaway for the twenty-something set. Especially since it's free and my dad is an awesome cook and we have a whole top floor of the house that goes pretty much unused. So I entertained all weekend and then youngest son and his latest shackup showed up and spent all week with us. She very, very much enjoys my company and loves to sit with me and chat until all hours of the night. I am an anti-social extrovert and although I love company and love my kids to pieces when I got home from the doctor this afternoon and everybody had cleared out, I nearly danced for joy! I closed the door leading from my basement apartment to the rest of the house and my mom said, "I'll be lonely with the door closed" and I said, "you can come see me tomorrow". And about the wine store... nothing beats having your preschooler tell folks at your BAPTIST (as in, nobody consumes alcohol - or at least everybody pretends they don't) church that mom like KJ Chardonnay. Seriously ratted out.

My 4 year old has allergies pretty bad right now so she always needs to wipe her nose. Normally I have a handkerchief for her but a couple times I told her to get toilet paper from the bathroom. The other day I noticed 3 giant wads in the trash that she apparently needed for wiping her nose. Now I know why girls always get blamed for using too much TP!

You are better than me. I have corrected so many people when i only have part of my crew with me. Lol. And you are way braver, entering and actually shopping at Costco without another adult. Necessity and all that, I'm sure, but my hats off to you nonetheless! :)

So, one day I was at the store solo with just my 2yr old (my 11 and 6 yr old at home). My two year old is hell on wheels and I have had my share of moms with more than one kid see me out solo with her and give me looks of understanding, smiles to encourage, and I have done what you did and just smile and bite my tongue. However, this particular day, there was a mom with her two kids that was just being rude. After loudly thanking her own two year old for being "so good and quiet", she made a totally snarky comment about my Vivian's lack of shoes and dirty knee-ed leggings. Her final comment was, "Oh, honey, don't you worry, having another will make this seem easy." I looked at her and said, "Yeah, I heard the fourth one really evens things out. It's the third kid really puts you through the ringer." Her look was priceless and I totally had to ask for forgiveness later for relishing in being able to shut her up.

I agree with you on Swift's new song... what is trying to do? Seems like she's trying to keep up with Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass, which gets cranked to high levels when it comes on! clean version of course!

This is SO true! I (only!) have 2...but I didn't venture out w/ my first w/out a self-pep-talk and a half a days planning until around 9 months as well. As soon as it got "easy" with him...I was pregnant again. Now I have a 2yo and a 7mo old. I'm getting more brave, more quickly with her than I did him. It's funny how we grow. (Also, I've found that my diaper bag is smaller with two than with one...I'm all like diapers/wipes? Check. Ok, let's get out of here.)

You look fantastic and I love the outfit post! I don't like Taylor's new song either. It's too out there. I'm sorry but I didn't notice your hair until you mentioned it then scrolled back up and saw it. I think you would look fantastic with a long bob!

omg...do you have another almost 4-year-old who is CONVINCED that she is "still a little wet in the middle"? And so will use up tp with wild abandon, crouched/half-squatting in front of the toilet while obssessively wiping herself and hiss-muttering, "Mommy, you are NOT VERY GOOD AT WIPING ME!!!" I just have to stare. That's all I have left in me. :)

I don't love the song either, but damn if it isn't catchy. Like every one of her other songs!

And seriously. You look ridiculously good as I stand here not losing a single pound since having Nora over a year ago....but I'm not bitter! So, I think it's a sign you're meant to have a lot of kids ;)

When you look this great after having four kids, I think you should be obligated to doing outfit posts! And I miss the quiet party I would have in the living room when all my kids napped. I am down to one lone soul who will nap for 42 minutes at most.

Well I put the one child to bed at 6:15 tonight and the other at 6:30, and the giddy high I felt after closing those bedroom doors was pure bliss, so I think you're doing just dandy. Then I had 2 bowls of ice cream. Bliiiisssss :-)

I started buying paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, and wipes on Amazon just to avoid lugging them all in from the store. If you set it up on Subscribe and Save and have at least 5 things delivered a month, you get 20% off all of it. I always throw in a different brand of mascara or face cream for the 5th item for fun and then cancel the subscription for that before the next month rolls around. :)

1. Peter Pan boots are amazing.2. Butbutbut, since you didn't say anything to that woman in the grocery store, she's going to make more unsolicited comments to other poor souls. A "Wait 'til you have four. *pointed look*" wouldn't have been amiss.3. I commend your excellent one-handed typery skills! (: